Remembering
by Garber Baby
Summary: "There are those sadistic vampires..." (Edward Cullen). Alexa Valerie White was a normal teenage girl from California when her life was turned upside down. Now, as a new-born vampire, Alexa struggles to remember how she was turned. With the help of the Cullens and a Scottsman, can she ever learn to accept this new life she has been forced into? Will she ever be able to remember?
1. Found

I wasn't sure about most things, but I was completely sure of one thing: I was pissed. More than pissed. Infuriated. Red haze filled my vision as I kicked and punched down every tree in sight. Still pissed. I started picking up the fallen trees and began throwing them, smashing them against other trees to knock those down too. I watched as once-giants became nothing more than sawdust and splinters.

In some corner of my mind I began to realize the irony of me, a former environmentalist advocate, single-handedly deforesting a good quarter of a square mile. With this thought, I once again slipped back into the self-loathing and utter despair that usually consumed my never-ending days.

As the fury started to fade, I became aware of my surroundings again. The slight breeze through my hair, sunlight reflecting rainbows off my skin, the animals quiet and hiding from my temper tantrum, the leaves rustling and ...twigs snapping?

My eyes popped open and scanned the edge of my man-made (figuratively speaking) clearing. I tensed. Almost nearing my clearing were a group of people. I sniff. No not people. My type of people. My mind goes into hyper drive.

_How many? _I looked hard at the group. _Eight. Four men, four women. _I sniff again. _One smells bad. Really bad. The other smells good. Too good. Possibility of escape? _I scanned the forest._ Slim. Hostile? _I looked closer at the approaching group._ Maybe. Can't be too safe though. Can they see me? _The group stopped at the edge of my clearing, and looked directly at me. _Yes they can see me.  
_  
This inner assessment takes a couple of seconds at most. The next thirty seconds consisted of a stare down between the group and me. They seemed to be arguing over something, presumably about what to do about me. I stayed stock still and watched from the center of the clearing.  
Bored of this, I decided that my possibly of escaping was looking better and better by the second. I took a step backward, and as karma would have it, my foot crunched a few leaves scattered by my mutilation of the trees. This grabbed their attention as all faces suddenly turned to me. The leader, having made some sort of decision, took a step forward.

"Wait," he said calmly. It wasn't a demand, but it also wasn't a plea. His voice held an air of natural authority, like one would expect from a doctor or a teacher or a parent. Although my mind screamed otherwise, my body stopped. Seventeen years of being trained to do as those of authority tell you were enough to override a moment of instinct. "We are not going to harm you," he soothed. He took another step forward, arms up, palms up. Standing in the middle of the clearing with the sun creating a halo-like glow around his golden hair and his skin glittering, he looked like some kind of angel.

I panicked.

"Don't come closer" I warned. Or at least I tried to sound threatening, but failed and sounded scared.

"It's okay," he said quietly. He took another step forward. "Everything will be okay." He took another step forward. "My name is Carlisle." He made to take another step forward" And this is my-"

I stopped him then, as Carlisle took another step forward, by yelling, "Stay back!" and throwing my hands up, palms out in an attempt to force him back with my hand motions.

Unfortunately, that's what happened.

As soon as my arm flexed into a palms forward position, Carlisle flew back into the forest, past the rest of his coven, as though something knocked him backward. My hands went to my mouth and my eyes went wide in shock and regret. The other three males instantly were in a defensive position in front of the women. One of them, the big hulking one, took a step forward as if to confront me but was held back by the handsome one.

"I'm so sorry," I said apologetically. I shook my head. "Really." And I ran. And kept running. I ran as fast as I could and as far as I could. A couple of hours later, I ended up deep in the mountains. It had started to rain and, not wanting to ruin the only outfit I owned, I found a cave to wait out the storm in. I instantly regretted this decision. Without the distraction of running, my mind instantly wandered back to self-loathing.

_God_, I thought, _I can't even be around my own kind. I'm truly a monster. _This train of thought quickly brought about, once again, the anger. Not having trees to direct my fury at, I settled for rocks. Not satisfying enough. Rocks don't break like trees. _It's not the rocks I hate anyway_, I thought._ It's me. _This thought infuriated me beyond reason and I looked at my hand, disgusted. I saw blood.

The next thing I knew I was curled in the fetal position and in pain. Shocked I look down and cringe at the sight of my now mutilated stump of an arm. I curled protectively around my self-inflicted wound. I started to drift. Not really sleeping but more a state of unawareness that allowed my mind to relax. I came to momentary to wonder when the last time I fed was. The answer was that I couldn't remember. Becoming too weak to care, I slipped back into a haze of oblivion.

It was in this state that they found me sometime later.


	2. Saved

They found me in a state of delirium. I couldn't move, I was so weak. I couldn't talk. I couldn't make more than hisses and groans. I dimly remember an angel scoping me up and hugging me to her chest. She started singing to me and passed me bread. I bit into it hungrily. My nose cringed away from the stale tasteless bread. It was horrible. The angel started singing again and pushed the bread once again toward my mouth. I bit into to it once again, too hungry to care about how it tasted. I locked my jaws into to it and was surprised to find that wine flowed out of the food. The wine was sour but filling, so I drank. I drained the bread dry and licked up all the wine I could find. I was still hungry. I looked up at the angel and froze.

I was with no angel.

Holding me like a mother would a feeding child was a woman. My nose flared. No, not a woman. One of them. She smiled at me, which was surprisingly comforting. I felt something heavy on my chest and looked down. My feast of bread and wine had transformed into a deer carcass.

Sanity hit.

I pushed the deer off me and flung my hands out at the woman, sending her backward. I was still weak and I only pushed her back a few yards away from me. I made a quick sweep of the area and made three quick observations: I was in a dark cave, the rain had stopped and I was cornered. Closest to me was the brunette woman who was holding me a moment ago. Nearest after her was a teenage girl with bouncy curls and bright brown eyes. I sniffed and was instantly confused. I studied her closer and heard her blood pumping through her veins, causing a slight burning sensation in my throat. At the same time she was not appetizing at all. She smelled wonderful, but I wouldn't eat her. Kind of like a flower. Satisfied with my comparison I moved on. After that there were five others in an almost perfect semi circle near the opening of the cave. I wondered why they didn't approach but let the two weakest ones deal with me. Maybe they don't consider me a threat? Or maybe I'm underestimating them.

My eyes snapped back to the brunette in front of me. She took a step forward and said softly, "I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Bella. I'm here to help. This is my family and they want to help too. Will you let them?" I looked at her confused. I wasn't stopping them. "Let down your shield," she soothed. "Let down your guard. You're safe now," she whispered. She said it with such open honestly that I had to believe her. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and another and pretty soon I felt all the tensions in my body slowly relax. As soon as I was completely unwound, I felt a muscle retract. Not a physical muscle, but like a muscle you use when thinking about something really hard. As soon as that happened, I felt the pain. Immense pain. I remembered my injury in that second. With a strangled cry of anguish I fell to the ground and grasped my stump of an arm.

Next thing I knew the one who called himself Carlisle earlier was in front of me. He startled me and I instinctively flinch back a step. "I'm here to help you," he smiled at me. I almost rolled my eyes at that.

"Ya so I've been told" I answered coldly. _Repeatedly_, I thought. "What makes you think I need help?" He raised an eyebrow and looked at my nonexistent hand. "Ok what if I don't want your help?" I said trying to sound tough but my quickly weakening body was starting to override my pride. I slumped back down to the ground."Can't you just leave me alone?" I begged.

Carlisle kneeled next to me and said "I'm a doctor. So no, I can't leave you alone". And with that he patted my shoulder and turned to the handsome male vampire. I stopped paying attention and felt defeated. I let Carlisle fix me up and soon, thanks to my vampire DNA, I was whole again.

A silent and tense awkwardness filled the air after my impromptu surgery. I pretended to examine my hand while covertly watching the coven in front of me. And they all seemed to be either staring at me or having conversations through eye signals.

I stirred uncomfortably from my seated position on the rock floor and tried to break the tension by half-heartedly joking, "Well that wasn't so bad". I looked up at Carlisle. "Thanks Doc." I attempted to smile but it probably came off as a grimace.

Carlisle looked amused and chuckled. "You're welcome. It was my first surgery on a vampire, so thank you as well."

"Glad to be of service."

We slipped back into silence, but the tension was lifted.

_What now?_ I thought.

"An excellent question, but what comes next is your choice," answered the handsome male. I was startled by his response and looked at him confused. Carlisle sighed.

"Did I ask that out-loud?" I asked.

"No, you did not," Carlisle answered with a tired voice. "My son, Edward, is gifted, like yourself. Except he can read people's minds."

I looked at Edward. He was easily one of the most handsome men I have ever seen. He had chestnut hair and a slight smirk on his face and his eyebrows lightly furrowed. His head was slightly tilted to one side which, combined with the smirk, made him look cocky and arrogant. But after Carlisle's explanation I realized he was actually listening very hard and looked more like somebody trying to eavesdrop on a conversation. With this insight, Edward made a shocked but amused smile and straightened his head.

"I didn't realize I was doing that," he said. I shrugged. I suddenly realized I had yet to introduce myself.

"Wow! I've been rude. My name is Alexa."

"Pleasure to meet you Alexa."

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Yes it is. You already know my son." Edward nodded. "His wife, Bella." The brunette whom I had mistaken as an angel waved and gave me a small smile. "Their daughter Renesmee." The pretty teen who smells like flowers smiled enthusiastically. "Then my daughter Rose and her husband, Emmett." The female was painfully beautiful and looked at me suspiciously, while the male was the hulking one from earlier with a huge grin on his face. "And this is my wife, Esme," Carlisle said proudly and it was easy to hear his love for her in the introduction. Esme was a stereotypical mother hen, with that sense of home radiating off her. It reminded me of my mother.

_No I'm not thinking of that now_, I scolded to myself. _I can't be breaking down in tears in front of these... people. _I snapped out it just in time to notice that Carlisle was ready to handle business. "So what now?" I prompted.

"Well the way I see it, you have two choices," responded Carlisle. "Keep living the way you have been."

_Like I'm going back to that_, I thought. Seeing my frown, he continued with,

"Or come live with us."

My jaw dropped. I was not expecting that. My mind went into over time trying to find anything wrong with this new idea. I couldn't think of any except-

"I'm sorry but I can't feed off humans," I said almost embarrassedly. This statement was received with a few curious looks seeing as I had blood red eyes that begged to differ.

"That's good because neither do we. We drink animal blood. A 'vegetarian' life style so to speak," answered Edward.

_Oh ya. The deer_, I remembered. My main fear resolved I moved on to a more trivial concern. "Why are your eyes golden?"

"Animal blood turns them this color," responded Carlisle in a doctor like fashion. Satisfied with this answer I mentally addressed my last concern. I weighed it against the many pros, but what eventually won me over was the simple point of "where else will I go?".

"I'll join you," I whispered.

"Then welcome!" Carlisle said warmly, but then turned serious. "But I warn you. The safety of my family relies on our secrecy. I understand that we slip up sometimes. It's part of who we are."

"I promise to try" I said sincerely. His face softened.

"That's all I ask." He then offered me his hand and, taking it, I stood up. Carlisle then led me out of the cave.

"Shall we?" He asked politely.

"Where to?" I asked excitedly. He smiled at me warmly.

"Home," he responded. We then ran east and didn't stop for some time. The whole while I couldn't help but think that even though I knew practically nothing about the people I was with or where I was going, I felt the happiest and most optimistic for the future that I have been in...well...three months.


	3. Alice

We ran east for some time. Skirting around populated areas and possible outdoorsmen, we wound our way to the Olympic Peninsula. I let myself be happy for the duration of the run, preferring the pretense of happiness to what I was really feeling. We stopped and hunted twice, but made good time.

We eventually arrived in a town called Forks. It was a small town but pleasant. I was honestly too focused on not breathing to take in most of it. We arrived at the Cullen's house to a welcoming party. This greeting consisted of a petite young looking woman jumping up and down on the porch while clapping her hands. She might as well have been squealing in delight. When we approached she said a quick general hello and pranced to me.

"Finally!" she screamed. "Do you not know how long I've been waiting for you to show up?" She pulled me into a tight hug. "I've been practically dying to get a good look at you and meet you." She held me out from her and looked at me from head to toe, frowned, and then looked me straight in the eye and said, "Shower. Now."

"Excuse me!" I exclaimed sounded insulted.

"Well no offense but you are kind of a mess." She raises an eyebrow and held up a piece of my matted dirty hair, daring me to contradict her. I opened my mouth to do just that, but just closed it and shook my head. Seeing this as a sign of defeat, she grabbed my hand and dragged me into the house. She pushed me into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

"Okay so everything you might need is already here. Need anything else just ask," she smiled and turned to leave, but then remembered something. "And leave your clothes on the counter. I'll bring you some new ones." Once again she turned to leave and when she was at the door she looked over her shoulder and said, "Oh, by the way, I'm Alice."

* * *

After taking a very long shower I felt thoroughly relaxed and clean. I got out of the impressively large shower and walked over to the counter to see what clothes Alice had brought me, only to find no clothes for me to wear. Alice had taken my clothes but had yet to replace them. Not really having a choice in the matter I waited for a couple of minutes for my clothes to arrive, but none ever came. Losing my patience, I wrapped my towel tight around my body and stuck my head out of the bathroom.

"Alice?" I loudly whispered. "Alice!" I said louder. Cautiously, I crept down the hallway, looking through doors as I went. Now annoyed, I rounded the corner and said, "where are you-" and was cut off by a solid presence suddenly in front of me. I ran right into the body and stiffened in surprise. I hissed instinctively and lunged at my attacker, pinning him to the ground.

Growling I looked at my attacker for the first time. Once again I froze. Lying beneath me was a gorgeous man. He had beautiful shiny black hair and a strong jaw bone and high cheek bone. He could have easily been a Viking with his barbarically masculine aura and looming presence. He looked stunned but the corner of his mouth was slight turned up and his piercing gold eyes sparked with suppressed laughter.

"Well lass. Hello to ye as well. As for where I am," he said casually, his eyes roamed over my body before him, "I'd say exactly where I wanna be." with this I looked at myself and felt embarrassed. Here I was straddling a man I didn't know in nothing but a towel that was currently revealing quite a lot of cleavage and was really only covering my crotch. I jumped up and modestly adjusted my towel around me, although it still only just covered my butt. The man was still lying on the floor with his hands behind his head.

"Why are you still on the floor?" I asked irritably.

"Enjoyin' the view," he responded, arching an eyebrow at me and giving me a wide grin. I huffed and, with my last scraps of dignity, pulled my towel tight around my body and marched back to the bathroom, all the while I could hear the man laughing uproariously from the floor.

* * *

Alice eventually showed up with my clothes. She apologized profusely for taking so long, using her husband returning from a hunt as an excuse. Somehow I got the impression she was not a person to get distracted, but a person who planned things. And her overly dramatic apologizes and mischievous glint in her eyes, led me to think she left me alone, without clothes, on purpose.

"So anything happen while I was away?"She asked casually, confirming my suspicion.

"Oh nothing of great importance," I responded, looking at her from the corner of my eyes. Her face fell minutely. "I mean I ran into a guy looking for you." Her face turned exited.

"Oh what happened?" she asked, trying to sound indifferent, and failing, instead sounding like a barely retrained girl receiving a pony.

"Oh I walked out -in my towel I might add- and tackled a huge... Scottish?... guy." I said neutrality. Alice smirked. I continued, "Yep. Guy's a complete prick though. And a pervert on top of that."

I almost laughed at Alice's shocked and disappointed expression.

"What?" she asked disbelieving. Her eyes zoned out and she had a faraway look.

"Alice?" I asked concerned now.

"No everything is still the same," she muttered to herself. She looked up and, seeing my concerned face, her face lit up and she smiled at me. "Get dressed," she ordered and left.

_What the hell just happened_, I thought.


	4. Renesmee

Taking Alice's advice I got dressed. I had to remember to complement her on her choice of clothes, but also to remind her I wasn't going to a cocktail party. She gave me a light beige semi-form fitting dress that ended a little above my knees and a respectably low-cut neckline to be worn with a thin black belt that buckled with a bow. A black headband with a small bow held my dark auburn wavy hair back and I wore cute little black bow flats. Looking in the mirror I couldn't help but feel like a little girl again on my way to synagogue. Feeling pretty, if not a little ridiculous, for the first time in months, I descended the stairs to where everybody was gathered.

As I walked down the stairs to the living room I was relieved to see that nobody was staring at me. As I walked by, people would look up and nod and smile but besides that I was glad to see everybody just going about their daily route. I was instantly drawn to intense game of chess being played on the floor between Alice and Edward. I watched for a couple games while Alice and Edward made a total of two moves over five minutes on a board made up of six boards before Alice flicked her own king over. I was about to ask for somebody to explain to me what was going on when-

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed, turning to me with wide eyes. "I'm sorry I must have forgotten. No need to worry about asking me politely. I can see the future."

_Wow_, I thought. _A mind reader and a physic. Is that usual?_

"It's not unusual for our kind to have gifts." Edward responded cutting off my train of thought. "It is unusual for so many of us to be living together, though. Most can't stand it. "

"I can imagine why." I said dryly. _Lack of privacy for starters_, I thought pointedly. Edward looked up from the chess board then and threw me a small dazzling smile.

"Sorry. I didn't mean offense. I just wanted to answer some of your questions," he said sincerely. I sighed.

"Just wait for me to ask them, okay?" He opened his mouth to respond to that. "Out loud," I amended before he could respond. He smiled and turned back to his game.

"Are you sure you're not the mind reader here?" He moved his pawn forward. "Okay. I'll behave. I promise." At that moment Bella and Reneesme walked down the stairs. Reneesme ran towards me and hugged me.

"Yes! Somebody finally my age!" she squealed. She pulled back and I saw her fully now. She was of an average height and had a slightly curvy figure. She looked lean and at that point where she could pass for either a kid or a young woman. But, guessing from her round face and bouncy personality, I would say she was in her pre-teens. "We are going to be such great friends, I can feel it!" She smiled warmly and I couldn't help but instantly love this little bundle of excited energy before me. I laughed at her practically jumping up and down on the couch I was sitting on.

"I'm sure we will be. First though tell me about you and your family. I mean why-"

"You mean why I have blood pumping through my veins?" she asked cutting me off.

_Wow_, I thought. _She's as bad as Edward_. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him smirk. "Well yes." I stated bluntly.

"Does it bother you?" She asked quietly, looking down. "Do you find it too distracting?"

"No!" I said quickly to reassure her. "No not at all. I mean you smell nice, really, but in a non-food sort of way. Kind of like a bouquet of flowers." Bella's snorted a laugh from her spot behind Edward.

"Edward said the same about me," she chuckled. Discreetly I leaned forward and took a whiff.

_Definitely floral. Must be heretical_, I thought.

"Anyway," Reneesme said. "You asked me a question." She got a thoughtful expression on her face. "Well I'll tell you everything about me and as much about my family as I can but if you want to know everybody's story you'll have to ask them."

"Fair enough."

"I have two conditions though." I raised an eyebrow. "You have to tell me your story." I must have made a face because she quickly added, "Not tonight but eventually. Okay?" I nodded.

"And the second request?" I asked. She smiled.

"Don't freak out." And without further ado, she cupped my cheek with her hand and everything disappeared.


	5. Yes, Vampires Can Get Drunk

Reneesme cupped my cheek and suddenly I was looking at the world from a whole new perspective, from her perspective. I saw me; eyes wide open in shock and sitting stock still.

"You ok?" I heard- no felt- her ask me. I saw myself nod, but before I could ask any questions, she asked me, "Want me to answer your questions?" I saw myself nod again. I was then shown a slide show. It was faster and more vivid than any movie I had ever seen. It explained everything. How she came to be, about her and her life, about her family, about some guy named Jacob, about just about everything. When she was done I felt her yawn and then she showed me a picture of me. I was silently staring at her with glazed, out of focused eyes with a small silly smile on my face.

"Your family is beautiful," I croaked out loud. I felt her smile and then hesitate. I internally cringed as she showed me a picture of me the first time she met me. I looked angry and feral. She moved forward in time to when they found me in the cave. I was curled on the ground and looked completely out of it. Bella rolled me on to my back and they saw what I had done to my hand. This time I did flinch away from the sight. It faded.

"Why?" she silently asked.

"Because I was mad," I answered out loud.

"At whom?" she asked. Her thoughts were getting fuzzy, but I was so caught up in my own misery that I didn't notice.

"At me mostly. Does it matter?" I snapped.

"To you it does," she slurred. I then noticed how incoherent her thoughts were getting. Suddenly her hand slipped off my face and I could see my surroundings again. I blinked a couple times and looked at the clock. It was around mid-night. I smirked and took a blanket and covered her sleeping form. I got up and stretched, although I really didn't need to.

"Good conversation, lass?" said somebody from the doorway. I snapped my head toward him and glared.

"Yes it was. What's it to you?" I said curtly.

"Oh I'm only thinkin' it ha' better ha' been seein' that ye two lassies ha' been sittin' there for most o' the eve'nin," he said smartly flashing me a wide smile. "No need to flash yerself, darl'in." I frowned.

_Did his accent get thinker?_ I thought. At that moment, another man stumbled into the room, bringing with him the smell of very strong alcohol. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. Straightening up, he saw me and smiled, while I got a look at him. I stepped back without thinking about it as I took in his numerous scars. He had ragged blond hair and a straight back even when drunk, making him look like some general. Seeing my cautious look he gave me a small smile and I felt a wave of calm come over me.

"How you do you, ma'am? M'names Jasper," he drawled in his Texan accent nodding his head toward me.

_Confederate general_, I amended. "Alexa," I said.

"Pleasure to meet you, Alexa." He turned to his companion. "I'd better call it a night before Alice kills me." He turned back to me and dipped his head with a, "G'night."

"Good night," I said to Alice's mate. I sat back down on one of the chairs and tried to ignore the Scottish vampire behind me. Unfortunately, he did not get the hint.

"So," he said while lowering himself into the chair across from me. "Ye are new here." I nodded at him. "Where ye from?" he asked.

"I was from San Francisco."

"Are ye no from there now?" he said evenly, giving me a piercing look.

"Honestly, I have no clue," I answered tiredly. I wiped my face. "I have no fucking clue," I said into the hand.

"Well that's no good. No good not knowin' who ye are," he said sincerely. I looked at him hard.

"I didn't realize alcohol could affect us," I remarked.

"Are ye implyin' that I'm intoxicated!" he said indigently. "I'll have ye know that I'm no drunk. My granda always said that if ye can stand, you were no drunk." He stood then and looked down at me with a raised eyebrow. I just shook my head and with a small smile raised my hands in surrender. He then walked out of the house, whistling some tune I did not know.

I couldn't help but look at his retreating form. He was wearing some well worn jeans and a white v-neck shirt. No man ever looked better in them. As he walked away I admired his tall muscular figure under his shirt and my eyes wandered downward. I couldn't help but think,

_My god! That man has the finest ass I have ever seen. _


	6. The Meadow

I sat in the living room for a while, half reading whatever happened to be lying around and half thinking over the day's events. This went on for an hour or so until I started hearing the "sounds of night". I looked up from my book and almost wished I could still blush. I looked over at Renesmee sleeping on the couch and wondered how she could sleep through the noises coming from upstairs. Refusing to sit and listen, I got up and ran outside. The fresh air felt good and I ran for a couple minutes, far enough away from the house for some privacy. When I noticed a small meadow, I stopped running. I walked around the meadow. It had some flowers sprouting from the ground and a small stream running down some stones beside it. I laid down in the middle of the small clearing and plucked a flower. I twirled the flower in my hand while I thought over my life for the past three months.

"Alice will kill ye if ye ruin that dress," a masculine voice said behind me, interrupting my thoughts. I didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

"Are you stalking me?" I asked, half seriously as I looked closer at the flower in my hand.

"It's you who's in my hidin' spot," he said, the smile evident in his voice. He walked around me and laid on his side, propping himself up on one elbow. "Get sick o' bein' alone?" he asked.

"In a sense." I answered hesitantly. He laughed.

"Yes, well, I learned long ago that the only way to avoid the noises is to either be gone or make some noises o' your own," he said. "Vampires are verra sexual creatures ye know." He winked at me. I looked down and pretended to be really interested in the flower. I heard him chuckle at my reaction, but otherwise said nothing. After a couple minutes of silence, he shifted nervously.

"I dinna want ye to think me rude, bu-" I snorted a laugh.

"I already do, but continue." He just looked at me with an irritated but bemused look.

"But...," he said pointedly." I couldna help but over hear your conversation with the young lassie and I have to ask, why ye so angry with yourself?" I wasn't expecting that, something he must have realized because he quickly added, "I mean. I heard about...that is the others told me about where they...how they found ye." My expression turned cold at the memory. He ignored it and went on," So I was wonderin', what made ye do it?" His gaze pierced right through me. His golden eyes sparkled in the moonlight and he looked truly worried over the matter. I sighed, melting instantly at the sight of his concerned face. I sat up and tucked my knees under my chin.

"Ever kill somebody?" I asked quietly.

"Many," he answered, shocked at the question.

"Do you regret it?" He hesitated.

"It took me a long time to regret it."

"But at the time you didn't, did you?"

"No. I did what I thought I had to do to survive."

"Yes, but who gave us that right?" I looked at him. "To kill others to feed ourselves."

"Ye can ask the same of lions," he said dryly. "But I dinna think they give it much thought." He looked directly at me. "Neither should you honestly."

"But I do. I mean... now I know I could of-"

"Ye could o'. Ye would o'. Ye should o'. Dinna worry about it, love. It's in the past."

"But I do worry about it!" I said now raising my voice. "I can't help but think about it." I was shouting now. "I killed three people!" I curled up and put my head into my hands. I was suddenly pulled onto his lap. I was shaking now trying to suppress my dry sobs, but they exploded out of me when he tucked my head under his chin and started softly crooning things to soothe me in some language I couldn't place. After a while the sobs subsided.

"You know I still don't know your name," I said accusingly. He chuckled.

"I still dinna ken yours either," he pointed out.

"Mine's Alexa."

"Mine's Brian." He pronounced his name with the first syllable emphasized and the second syllable barely there. If it was in a dictionary it would look like: Brian (BREE-n). "Pleasure to meet ye."

We sat in silence for a bit while I occasionally hiccuped a small sob but that soon faded leaving me completely aware of the fact that I was sitting on a very good looking man I barely knew.

_A very healthy young man_, I amended as I became increasingly aware of how our proximity was affecting him. We both shuffled embarrassingly away from each other.

I tried to stifle a giggle and almost succeeded.

"So vampires are very sexual creatures are they?" I choked out and burst out laughing. I think it might of been the pent up stress but I found the whole situation hysterical. He just sat there and glared at me for a couple minutes before getting up in a dignified manner and walking to the stream and then disappearing into its cold waters. At this sight I had another giggling fit, but I quickly recovered when I saw his dripping wet body emerging from the stream. His clothes were plastered to his body and his hair was hanging over his eyes. I ogled him as his well toned arms lifted him back up. He looked up to glare at me, then saw that I was staring at him. He smirked and raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"Enjoying the view," I said and turned back to picking flowers. I heard him walk up to me and lay close beside me so we were almost touching. He took the flower out of my hand, brushing up against my skin. We touched for a split second but that was enough to send electric sparks throughout my veins. Warmth spread through me and I briefly closed my eyes at the sensation. If he noticed my reaction, he didn't show it. He plucked the flower from my hand and examined it.

"Tell me about yourself," he quietly demanded.

"You first," I retorted just as quietly.

"Hey, I asked first," he whined. I snorted.

"That was you asking?"

"Fine," he conceded. "But ye'll eventually have to tell me somethin'." I shrugged.

"Not much to tell, but I'll tell you everything I know. Eventually."

"Okay well I'll make my story has short and painless as possible."


	7. Brian

"I was born in the Scottish Highlands on November 30th year of our lord 1727-"

"1727!" I cut him off. "That makes you like- what? - 300 years old?"

"Actually I'll be 285 this year. May I continue?" he asked with mock politeness. Too shocked to speak, I nodded and he went on. "I was born wi' the given name Brian James Alexander MacTavish Fraser."

"Wow that's a lot of names."

"That's how it was done in the Highlands back then. If ye are goin' to interrupt me after every sentence we are no goin' to get verra far."

"Sorry, I'll be quiet. Promise." And with that I drew my hand across my mouth like I was locking it shut. Brian just snorted.

"Like that's goin' to last." He continued, "I was changed at the age of 21 durin' the uprising. Afterword I wondered around Europe for a time before I met the Volturi." I made an involuntary shiver. "Good. Ye know o' them."

"Yes I saw them in Renesmee's memories."

"They're no so terrifyin' when ye're no the ones in trouble. I lived wi' them for a long time. That is where I met Carlisle and he taught me about his idea to feed off animals instead o' humans. I thought he was crazy. Anyway, I grew restless and left the Volturi to wonder the world. I even tried livin' off animals for a time, but I couldna keep to it. Sometime later I ended up in the South durin' the civil war. While the civil war was goin' on here in the US, there was a war goin' on between vampire armies." Seeing my curious expression he added, "Better to ask Jasper about all the details. He's the history professor. Anyway, I joined a vampire army led by a woman named Maria. That's where I met Jasper. I soon became weary o' all the bloodshed and killin'. I had it out wi' Maria and left. I took to drinkin' only animal blood from then on and havena looked back." By this point I was practically not breathing in an effort not to ask questions. Something he must have seen because he added, "Any questions?"

"So you've been wondering the world for 300 years-"

"284," he corrected.

"-for almost 300 years by yourself?" I asked incredulously.

"Mostly."

"That must have been lonely," I said sympathetically. Absentmindedly I picked up his hand and started to stroke his palm between my palms. "I don't know if I could have done that and remained sane."

"Wasna easy, but I wasna always alone. There was the Cullen's, the Volturi and my other friends among varies clans."

"How many clans are there?!"

"Most are nomads, only some become permanent clans. But I'm only friends wi' the Irish clan and the Cullen's. Also some of the nomads."

"So what are you? A nomad?"

"I guess so." He shrugged. "Never was able to stay in one place permanently. Just couldna help but get tired wi' where I was."

"I hope you won't tire of this place soon. I'll need somebody to spend the nights with." He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and made an impressive noise that signaled the inappropriate context he took that statement to mean and his mock approval. "I didn't mean it like that," I said, gave him a light slap to the arm. He made a noise of disapproval and fake hurt. "Such a baby." He just smiled widely at me and winked.

We spent the rest of the night just talking. We talked about everything and nothing. By unspoken mutual consent we stayed away from any more serious conversations and just relaxed with each other.

* * *

Around dawn we decided it would be safe to return to the house and left the meadow. It ended up turning into a race.

"Ha!" I said triumphantly as I landed on the porch stairs with a thud. I turned around to gloat but ducked quickly as a figure was hurled over me.

"Beat ye!" Brian said happily.

"No you didn't! I reached the porch first!"

"No ye dinna. Ye reached the stairs first. I reached the porch first."

"That's cheating!" I cried out indignantly.

"No darl'in, that's a technicality," he said smugly. I reached to slap his arm.

"Why you pedantic-"

"Good morning!" said an all too cheery voice. Looking up, we saw Alice leaning over the balcony beaming down at us. "Nice night?" Brian just smiled broadly.

"Mine was pleasant. How about yours? Did Jasper get to bed on time or did ye tan his arse?" Alice just laughed and walked away from us. "I'm going to take that as Jasper got wrung out," he whispered conspiringly to me and winked at me. I just giggled and walked into the house.

As I walked into the house I couldn't help but notice the main difference between a human morning and a vampire morning. In the morning, humans begin their day while vampires continue with theirs. Everybody was continuing what they were doing last night. With the exception of Carlisle, who was not home.

"Where's Carlisle?" I asked.

"At the hospital," answered Edward from across the room. I was momentarily shocked. I knew he was a doctor but to actually be practicing... Edward looked up. "It's taken him centuries to master that kind of self control. He barely even registers the scent of human blood now." I just glared at him.

"I thought we agreed that you would wait for me to ask questions out-loud?" I raised an eyebrow at him. Bella just laughed from her spot perched in Edwards lap.

"That'll be the day." She smiled at me. "I'm sorry but honestly Edward isn't doing it on purpose. He hasn't known you long enough to know the difference between your thinking voice and your speaking voice. They sound the same to him." I just huffed and sat down on the kitchen counter.

_Fine!_ I purposely thought to Edward. _But if you go snooping through my thoughts we're going to have issues! _Edward just chucked.

"No need to shout."

I muffled a growl of irritation and Brian patted my knee.

"Ye get used to it." Brian reassured me.

"I don't think I could get used to anything in this life."

"No? Not even the speed?"

"No"

"The strength?"

"Nope"

"How ye look?" I looked down and snorted.

"Especially not that. I try not to look at myself."

"I dinna see why. You're verra beautiful."

I snorted again and looked up, about to say some smart remark. Whatever I was about to say stopped dead in my mouth as I looked up. I hadn't realized Brian had moved until he was right in between my knees as I sat on the counter. His face was barely five inches away from mine as he looked down at me. He was breathtakingly beautiful this close up. But that wasn't what stopped me. His eyes were starring right into mine, bright and piercing like a fire and all I wanted was to be consumed. We stood there just staring at each other for a few minutes.

"What happened to ye?" Brian finally whispered, not looking away. That shook me out of my stupor and suddenly I felt vulnerable and had to look away. I didn't know how, but I had exposed some part of myself to him, something I didn't even know of.

"I don't know what you mean," I mumbled and jumped off the counter.

Brian just stood facing the counter, not moving, and for once I saw just how statue like vampires are. I was so distraught that, as I walked out of the kitchen, I bumped into Jasper. Startled he grabbed my arms and I let out a surprised hiss. An angry growl erupted from behind me and both Jasper and I turned our heads to look at Brian, whose face was dark with anger. Jasper looked at me studiously, and then looked up at the furious figure of Brian who was crouched in a hunting pose. Jasper's face turn concerned and then curious and then amazed as he looked back at me.

"Let me pass," I demanded quietly. Jasper released my arms and looked passed me at Brian.

As I walked away I heard Jasper walk toward Brian and say happily, "'Bout time it happened!" and slap him on the back in that way men do. I just turned the corner of the hallway into the living room, wondering what the hell just happened.


	8. What Happened To You?

Around dawn we decided it would be safe to return to the house and left the meadow. It ended up turning into a race.

"Ha!" I said triumphantly as I landed on the porch stairs with a thud. I turned around to gloat but ducked quickly as a figure was hurled over me.

"Beat ye!" Brian said happily.

"No you didn't! I reached the porch first!"

"No ye dinna. Ye reached the stairs first. I reached the porch first."

"That's cheating!" I cried out indignantly.

"No darl'in, that's a technicality," he said smugly. I reached to slap his arm.

"Why you pedantic-"

"Good morning!" said an all too cheery voice. Looking up, we saw Alice leaning over the balcony beaming down at us. "Nice night?"

Brian just smiled broadly and said,"Mine was pleasant. How about yours? Did Jasper get to bed on time or did ye tan his arse?" Alice just laughed and walked away from us. "I'm gonna take that as Jasper got wrung out," he whispered conspiringly to me and winked.

I just giggled and walked into the house.

As I walked into the house I couldn't help but notice the main difference between a human morning and a vampire morning. In the morning, humans begin their day while vampires continue with theirs. Everybody was continuing what they were doing last night (with the exception of Carlisle, who was not home)

"Where's Carlisle?" I asked.

"At the hospital," answered Edward from across the room. I was momentarily shocked. I knew he was a doctor but to actually be practicing... Edward looked up. "It's taken him centuries to master that kind of self-control. He barely even registers the scent of human blood now."

I just glared at him. "I thought we agreed that you would wait for me to ask questions out-loud?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

Bella just laughed from her spot perched in Edwards lap. "That'll be the day." She smiled at me. "I'm sorry but honestly Edward isn't doing it on purpose. He hasn't known you long enough to know the difference between your thinking voice and your speaking voice. They sound the same to him."

I just huffed and sat down on the kitchen counter. "Fine!" I purposely thought to Edward. "But if you go snooping through my thoughts we're going to have issues!"

Edward just chuckled and said, "No need to shout."

I muffled a growl of irritation and Brian patted my knee.

"Ye get used to it," he reassured me.

"I don't think I could get used to anything in this life."

"No? Not even the speed?"

"No."

"The strength?"

"Nope."

"How ye look?"

I looked down and snorted. "Especially not that. I try not to look at myself."

"I dinna see why. You're verra beautiful."

I snorted again and looked up, about to say some smart remark. Whatever I was about to say stopped dead in my mouth as I looked up. I hadn't realized Brian had moved until he was right in between my knees as I sat on the counter. His face was barely five inches away from mine as he looked down at me. He was breathtakingly beautiful this close up. But that wasn't what stopped me. His eyes were staring right into mine, bright and piercing like a fire and all I wanted was to be consumed. We stood there just staring at each other for a few minutes.

"What happened to ye?" he finally whispered, not looking away. That shook me out of my stupor and suddenly I felt vulnerable and had to look away. I didn't know how, but I had exposed some part of myself to him, something I didn't even know of.

"I don't know what you mean." I mumbled and jumped off the counter. Brian just stood facing the counter, not moving, and for once I saw just how sculpture-like vampires are. I was so distraught that, as I walked out of the kitchen, I bumped into Jasper. Startled, he grabbed my arms and I let out a surprised hiss. An angry growl erupted from behind me and both Jasper and I turned our heads to look at Brian, whose face was dark with anger. Jasper looked at me studiously, then look up at the furious figure of Brian who was crouched in a hunting pose. Jasper's face turned concerned and then curious and then amazed as he looked back at me.

"Let me pass," I demanded quietly. Jasper released my arms and looked passed me at Brian.

As I walked away I heard Jasper walk toward Brian and say happily, "'Bout time it happened." And slapped him on the back in that way men do .

I turned the corner of the hallway into the living room wondering what the hell just happened.


	9. A Leannan

I spent the rest of the day reading a book curled up on one of the huge plush chairs in the living room. It was peaceful with Edward reading a book as well, Bella laying her legs across his lap, and Alice trying to convince Bella to go shopping.

Alice eventually could no longer bear the sight of my grass stained dress, so I was hauled off to what I was told was now my room. My new room was spacious and had a window were a wall should have been. A good size futon bed lay facing the window and there was a stereo set behind it. Next to the bed were two doors: the bathroom and the closet. The closet was full of brand new clothes. Expensive clothes, I later amended as I looked through some of the racks. I needed to have a talk with Alice, but that could wait until later. I just sighed, picked out a blue tunic to wear with black jeggings with tan boots and took a shower. Afterward, feeling more refreshed, I went back down stairs to read. On my way I peeked into the room across from mine. As I opened the door I was hit with a very masculine scent and instantly knew whose room it was. As I closed the door and went down stairs, I thought about the mixed feeling I had toward sharing a hallway with Bryan.

Carlisle came home around noon to take over for Esme on teaching Reneesme and Esme came downstairs to join the shopping debate. Jasper and Brian went off to the backyard. Looking around at this very domestic setting, I realized that this really was like a family.

The book I was reading was in Spanish, something I previously could not do. I had taken Spanish for my entire life and I had a Spanish speaking nanny when I was little, making it easy for me to speak in Spanish, but I could never read it well for some reason. Now I was having no difficulty at all and was reading some novella. Around three my reading was interrupted by a set of excited footsteps rushing down the stairs. I put down my book and looked up just in time to see Reneesme flying into the living room. She spirited into the kitchen and prepared a feast at lightning speed, at least that's what it sounded like. From my perch on the comfortable chair, I saw her emerge from the kitchen with a plate loaded with food. She was stuffing her face when she saw me. She flashed me a huge smile, checks bulging with food and walked over to the coach next to me. Sitting down, she continued to eat.

"Don't they feed you?" I asked incredulously.

"Obviously not enough," Edward observed dryly, peering over his book. Carlisle walked down the stairs.

"It's perfectly healthy for a growing young woman to be hungry after a hard day of lessons," Carlisle commented calmly.

Reneesme ignored our exchange and reached over me to grab my book. She read the cover and looked surprised.

"You speak Spanish?"

"The majority of people living in LA do… to some extent."

"What was it like growing up in Los Angeles?" She was looking at me curiously now.

"It was fun. Not all that special for those who live there." I looked at her then and saw how she hesitated to speak, afraid she'll say the wrong thing and I'd stop talking. I knew what she wanted, and to be fair I did promise her. "I promised you I'd tell you what I know and I will." By now we had the attention of the whole room and I felt them looking at me. I settled in my chair, not out of need but out of nerves, and began my story.

"My full name is Alexa Valerie White. I was born April 19th 1994 in Los Angeles. I grew up in a middle class neighborhood and had a normal life. My dad left before I was born and I never knew him or anybody from that side of my family. It was just my mom and me. When I was in 7th grade my mom met John and they started dating. After only a couple of months they got engaged. I thought it was too soon, but I knew she was lonely and I didn't dislike John. They decided to get married after I graduated from middle school and I was happy for them. Then, a week before high school started, John got a job up in San Francisco and we moved within a couple of days. I never got to say good bye to most of my friends." I faltered for a split second, but quickly went on. "Anyway I started high school at San Francisco Central High School and everybody soon settled in, although I never really forgave John. Sometime passed and my little brother, Chase, was born." I smiled then. "When he slept he had the cutest little smile and was...is...the sweetest kid you'll ever meet. You can tell him anything." My throat tightened up momentarily, but I forced it down and continued on." I spent a lot of my time working with Tree Musketeers for environmental advocacy and that's what brought me to DC. I was a junior, which meant I could go on a program to lobby Congress. I went with a bunch of friends and it was a lot of fun. There were parties and hook ups and, best of all, no parents." I snorted. "Although, now that I think about it, better supervision might have stopped this from happening." I sighed and continued, "But there wasn't."

I was stalling now and I knew it. I drew up my courage and I let my mind take me back to that night.

"We were heading back to our dorm after a party. It was one of the more crazy ones and I was wondering whether somebody spiked the drinks because we were all laughing and swaying like crazy. Rachel and I were staying in a different dorm than everybody else so we walked to their dorm first before saying goodbye and walking to our own rooms. As we walked down the path I remember commenting on how dark it was. Some of the lamps were out I guess. It was as we turned the last corner before our dorm that I noticed something was wrong, but I couldn't do anything about it before Rachel suddenly disappeared and...That's where everything goes black. Next thing I knew I was waking up with a dry throat and I was attacking a human. I think that's what brought me back, seeing a corpse in my hands and realizing I did that. So I ran as far away as I could. I stayed in the forests of Virginia for a while but eventually grew too hungry and had to feed again about a month later. I ran west again and hid in the Rockies. Unfortunately I ran right into a cottage about two months later. After that I ran north, hoping to escape to the frozen tundra, but instead I ran into you guys." I stopped then to think, too far gone in the story to notice much of anything. "Sometimes, when I least expect it, I'll remember bits and pieces of how I was changed. An alley way, Rachel screaming, or a moving shadow. But it's all blurry and as soon as I think I might have uncovered something important, it slips away. By now though I'm almost positive that I was dru-"

I was about to say "drugged", but it was at that moment I saw Renesmee face. She looked totally entranced in my story, but also she looked scared. I honestly thought she might start crying if I said it.

"-drunk," I quickly said to finish my sentence. I started to notice how eerily still the room had gotten. "Any who," I said more to break the silence, "I'm starting to think I'd rather not know. You know what they say about ignorance." I gave my best fake smile and patted Renesmee.

She smiled sadly and threw herself at me, giving me a bear hug. I chuckled half heartedly and lightly returned the hug.

"Come on Nessie," Carlisle said quietly, "time to finish your homework." She slowly released me and I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. She sighed and obediently marched up the stairs with Carlisle and Esme following her. After she left I dropped my head in my hands and took deep breaths. After a couple minutes I lifted my head with my eyes closed and absentmindedly rubbed my neck. A set of large hands gently replaced my hands and rubbed my neck with blissful strength. Shocked, I tensed up and opened my eyes. Everybody had left the room except for me and-

"Relax, a leannan," a soft Scottish voice soothed into my ear. I couldn't help but do what he said and I melted under his ministrations. I hummed contently as he moved his hands across my shoulders and between my shoulder blades. Although my body was relaxing my mind couldn't help but wonder to unpleasant topics. I gave up on trying not to think about my past and let every stray thought cross my mind. I don't know how long I sat there with my eyes closed and Brian massaging me, but eventually I grew tired of thinking about my problems.

"What does 'a leannan' mean?" I asked trying to distract my thoughts.

"It means darling," Brian responded quietly.

"What language is that?"

"Scottish Gaelic. I grew up speakin' it, but most everybody knew some English as well."

"My Spanish is like your English then. Most everybody I knew growing up could manage the basics of it." I bent over further in my chair so he could massage my mid back. "How many languages do you speak?"

"Och. I dinna ken. I can speak Scottish Gaelic, English, Latin and French fluently. I can get by in Spanish, Italian and Chinese. And I know bits and pieces o' Swahili, Hindi and some other random languages."

"So I take it your bad at languages," I said with a small smile. He just chuckled.

"Just ha' a lot o' time on my hands. What about you? How many can ye speak?"

"Well English and Spanish I'm pretty fluent in. I can get by in Hebrew. And so far I know one word in Scottish Gaelic, but hopefully I'll be proficient soon."

"I'll be glad to teach it to ye," he said with a smile. We lapsed back into silence. A couple minutes later curiosity got the better of me.

"How much of that did you hear?"

"All o' it."

"Well good I don't want to have to repeat it," I snapped bitterly. His hands stopped their rubbing and squeezed my shoulders lightly. I sighed and grabbed one of his hands resting on my shoulder and held it tightly.


	10. A New Dawn

After the confusing and heartfelt day I had, all I wanted was to be alone. I gave Brian's hand a light pat and said good night. As I got into my room I closed the door, turned on some soft music, curled up on the futon and thought. I thought about everything I hadn't let myself think up to that point. I thought about Rachel, my friends in DC, my friends in LA, John, my mom and, hardest of all, Chase. Just visualizing his cute four year old self running around with a huge dimpled grin plastered on his face was enough to make me break down. Not wanting to make noise, I bit on my fist and breathed through my noise. I spent the rest of the night silently and violently shaking out my grief over everybody I would never see again.

Sometime around dawn I had run out of fuel for my pity party. I had nothing from my past left to think about and analyze. I uncurled and laid on my back. I turned my thoughts toward my present. The first face that popped into my mind was Brian. In just a couple of days I had opened up to him more than anybody else. He was kind and funny and smart and good with languages (and a great masseuse). And I'd be damned if he wasn't the best looking man I'd ever seen! I could easily visualize his tall frame with strong arms and broad shoulders. He was muscular but lean, not bulky. He had a strong jaw and high cheek bones. His dark hair made him look fierce and wild, but his lips were constantly tilted up and on the verge of a smile. But what affected me the most were his eyes. No matter if they were black or golden, they held a light in them that could pierce through any armor or wall before them. I remembered how it felt when I looked into them and that feeling- no need- to be consumed. Thinking about Brian, warmth spread through me and I was surprised to find that I shivered with desire.  
Wow. This body is so much more hornier than my human one, I silently noted. In an attempt to derail my increasingly dirty thoughts about Brian, I thought of the first face I could think of.

Renesmee. An adorable bundle of excited hormones. I smiled, thinking of her, and I envied her innocence. It was admirable that she was able to hold onto it living in a lifestyle that relied so heavily on death. I knew it probably had to do with how Edward and Bella had raised her. And Jacob. I hadn't seen a lot of him in Renesmee's lesson on her family, but I saw enough to know he was important to her. Also that she was hiding something about him. I just hoped he wasn't human for her sake.  
Now for my future. I would stay with the Cullen's for now. But I could not forever. I knew I had to start making money, if only to buy my own clothes. But I was still only 17. I had a feeling Alice could help me and I resolved to ask her about it.  
I sighed and sat up. Looking out of the window-wall I saw that it was well past dawn. I got up, showered and dressed, ready to face a new day.

* * *

As I walked down the stairs, I was hit with a mouthwatering smell that turned off any logical thinking I had. I was a predator, nothing else. I dropped into a hunting crouch and jumped to the lower landing. Mid-jump I was pulled down into an enormous rib breaking hug.

"Ye dinna want to do that, lass," Brian warned from behind me. I just growled and struggled with his grip. Being only a few months old, I easily broke his grip and tried to run toward the smell. He jumped me again, pinning me to the ground. Unconsciously, I flexed my physical shield. Brian flew backward, hitting the wall behind him. He growled and fell back into a hunting crouch, but now was in front of me. Before he could lunge, a massive pair of arms were around me, doing a fairly decent attempt to crush me.

"Whoa there!" said Emmett like one would to a horse. Even when serious he still had a smile on his face. The smell started to move away and I hissed in protest. I broke through Emmett's arms with some difficulty and was about to hop over the banister when I was stopped.

"Enough!" growled a very annoyed Brian. I was instantly frozen in place. I could not move as hard as I tried. Mentally I was furious and growling and hissing with gusto, physically I was doing nothing.

"She must leave. Now!" hissed an angry Rosalie from the stairs above us.

"She didn't mean it Rose," Emmett responded. "Feisty though. I'll give her that."

"She could have killed Charlie! Imagine what would have happened then."

Whose Charlie?, I silently thought.

"But she didn't. Drop it Rose."

"No. I will not drop it. A newborn is dangerous. Especially one with her gifts."

"Rose...," Emmett pleaded, but Rose just huffed and stomped off.

Bitch ,I though.

Brian just ignored them and walked straight up to me. He cupped my face and stared into my eyes.

"Come back to me, a leannan," his sweet breath caressed my face and his tantalizing scent overwhelmed my senses. I no longer could smell the human scent and my blood thirsty haze went away.

As soon as I was myself again, I stopped breathing and stopped fighting against Brian hold on me. Having realized this, Brian smiled at me and said "Back to your old self are ye? Good. Now do as I say. Dinna breathe and run to the forest. D'ye understand?" I nodded with my eyes.

"Good. Now I'm gonna let ye go." He slowly drew his hands away from my face and I felt his hold on me fade away. As soon I could move again, I was running as fast as I could. I blurred out of the house, through the back yard, across the river and into the woods. I ran and ran, something I was getting good at lately.

* * *

Sometime later I had run out most of my frustration and could no longer ignore the scents following me. I stopped at the edge of a clearing, walked to the nearest tree and punched it. I watched as it snapped in half and splintered off.

"You tell that tree whose boss!" I turned to see Emmett leaning against a tree.

"Isn't that what I just did to you?" I snapped back.

"Naw. You cheated," he smiled widely. "Want to really fight, you let me know. None of this force field crap!"

"Dinna give her any ideas," said Brian as he sauntered in to the clearing. He gave me a smirk and turned to Emmett. "As it is she ha' already bested ye today." He turned back to me and his eyes glittered in amusement. "Ye're a bonny wee fighter, lass."

"Yes, we heard your little scuffle," commented Carlisle as he walked into the clearing with a slight smile on his face. He was followed by Esme and Rosalie (who still had a frown on her face). I must of looked as miserable as I felt because Carlisle came up to me patted my shoulder.

"It happens to the best of us. All we can do is learn. We are going to make sure Charlie, Bella's father, is not around when you are and you are going to feed at least every other day. Agreed?" He gave me one of those doctors looks. You know that compassionate yet stern look doctors give you when prescribing a treatment you must follow. I just nodded my head and looked down. "Well. That's settled. How about we start now?" I looked up to a smiling face. "Up for a hunt?"

And with that we set out. Carlisle took the lead as we followed a scent trail of a large pack of deer. As we got closer to the deer we started spreading out in pairs. As the only two unmated people present, I got stuck with Brian. We closed in on a segment of the pack and could almost see them. Brian looked at me and nodded. The hunt began. We both lunged at the deer. I took down the biggest buck in sight and wrestled with it. I still hadn't perfected the art of feeding without making a mess so by the time I was done my hair had blood, fur and twigs in it, my clothes were ripped and I had blood spattered across my body. I looked up briefly to see Brian finished with his, leaning on a nearby tree, and pointing to two other deers he had killed for me. I quickly nodded in thanks before sinking my teeth into the nearest one's neck. I drained both of the remaining deer as quickly as I could. When I was done I whipped my mouth and looked at the blood in disgust.

"Nicely done,lass," Brian said huskily. I snorted.

"Ya right-" I looked up and cut off what I was about to say. Before me was a perfectly intact tall beautiful Scotsman with a drop of blood running down his chin and with the most serious expression on his face that I had yet to see him with and his bright golden eyes were staring at me. His eyes roamed my body, making me shiver as a warmth filled my body, and they got noticeably darker. He suddenly looked like lion ready to lunge and I had no doubt I was the gazelle.

I broke eye contact and looked down.

"We should probably rejoin the others," I stammered.

"Aye. We probably should," he said, his voice deeper than usual, but made no move to go. He just stood there, leaning on a tree, staring at me.

"Come on," I sighed. I had an idea and smiled wickedly. "Race ya!" I shouted and sprinted off. I heard him growl and run after me, so I sped up. He was fast, but so was I. I was still stronger than him, so I reached the meadow the others were in first.

"Beat ya!" I said slowing from a sprint to a light run. I turned around and started jogging backward to gloat, but he was right behind me and lunged. He wrapped his arm around my waist and spun me around so I was facing the forest again.

"Hey!" I cried indignantly. "No fair!"

"No. No fair is ye startin' a race wi' no warnin'," he retorted.

"I gave you a heads up by yelling 'Race ya'," I said matter-of-factly.

"That's cheatin'!" he cried indignantly.

"No laddie, that's a technicality," I said, imitating his accent. With that I just smirked and went to join the others who were now waiting for us and watching our exchange with interest and amusement. I just looked at them innocently and asked,

"What?"


End file.
